Thank you, Madam Chairperson. It was interesting to listen to the father of open government, public government, open decision-making, bring it to the public forum, Mr. Ootes, talk about keeping the decision-making behind closed doors. That is what convention is, when you talk about convention. Everybody here fully knows what happens when the 14th Legislative Assembly comes back in. They are all going to gather up in the caucus room and make the deal up there. The public is not going to hear the debate or anything. They are going to come out, and we might have an eight Member Cabinet, a seven Member Cabinet, or a six Member Cabinet. No one knows, and not one person of the public will be able to hear any of that debate because it will be carried out in the caucus room.
It is interesting to sit here and listen to the government pass the buck to the next government. We agree, good principle, but we will not make a decision. We do not want to bind into the next Legislative Assembly. Well, why do we not all go home now? What are you drawing the pay cheques for? You have legislation on the floor right now that is going to bind the next Legislative Assembly. Not much substance, but an interesting comment. The reason our committee made this motion is to ensure that there is a public process. This only binds the 14th Assembly until they choose to change it. They can change it. They can come right into this Legislative Assembly and put a motion on the floor and say, no, we change our minds, the 13th Assembly, Members of the 13th Assembly were not quite in their right minds when they were thinking of this. They can do that. There is going to be 19 of them, five more of them. The majority of them will come from Yellowknife, but that will happen in the public.
Passing the buck to the 14th Assembly is totally unacceptable. Either you agree with it or you do not. It is very straightforward. You agree with the principle of regional representation into Cabinet, then put it in legislation. If you do not, then do not put the legislation forward. You are the government. You are the one that is going to be answerable to the people. This is a fair split. Six from the north, six from the south, and seven from Yellowknife. Nobody can have a constitutional challenge on that one. What it does, it is part of a political solution. Your government has talked about political solutions. Was that just talk? That is what I am starting to think, just plain talk, no substance to back it up. Was anybody really interested in a political solution?
I have seen Mr. Henry, I have seen Mr. Ootes stand up in this House and say we want a political solution. They did not even have the decency to go listen to the people to get a political solution. Then they sit there and say, well, committee report is this and this, it costs too much money. But at least we went out and looked for a political solution and were willing to take the political lumps that we will take when the voters go to the polls. Whether they are going to vote for you or not, at least you stand up and stand for what you represent. Everybody knew in this Assembly how much the previous convention was manipulated, how much it was. Everybody knows that. That is just a convention.
This committee motion would impel them to do something at least. It would make them do it in public. You are going to have 19 Members. The bigger communities are going to control this Assembly, control the Caucus. Is that what you want to come back to, without some legislation in there to protect our regions, to protect our smaller communities, or are we willing to sell those guys out too?
By moving ahead without coming ahead without coming up with political solutions, this government and this Legislative Assembly is not going to be known for the good things it has done. It is going to be known as a government in the Legislative Assembly that has torn the Western Territories apart. So I urge you to quit sitting on your hands, quit hiding behind your seats and at least get out there and do something so that we can have a public process. Everybody talks about it, but no one wants to do it. That is the bottom line. Thank you.